I kind of want to hug her right now, even though I imagine she'd feel trapped if I did. So I'll resort to the tactic I use with another friend who doesn't like hugs, and "hug" T'Pol by not hugging her.

Knowing how hard the crash is going to be here, I also wish I could warn her to trust her instincts - maybe not where melding is concerned, but definitely about the trellium.

I liked this, even though it was uncomfortable and sad. I guess what I liked best is the way you provided a logical reason for T'Pol's lack of logic, if that makes sense. It wasn't smooshy or romantic, and it wasn't rational, either. I liked how you got across that it was mostly impulse (no pun intended), coupled with her burgeoning feelings and her sense of helplessness. There's a lot brewing in that mind of hers, and it was conveyed in a lovely way.

Personally, I love the line about Tucker being stashed behind the curtain like surplus equipment the best because it was unexpectedly funny, cynical and sad, and totally true at the same time. Nice job.

Ah, thank you. You're not the only one who's been bothered by the lack of attention Trip himself recieved in that episode.

You'ver written a curiously uncomfortable piece here; I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. The conversation with Phlox in the end makes me uneasy, which it should - it's just odd to be feeling flustered and embarrassed along with T'Pol; for a moment or two I wanted to flee just like she did.

On the other hand, without doubt, I like how you've portrayed her trellium issues; I like how she rationalises what she's doing, and how it's not possible to tell how much of this she really believes and how much she's trying to talk herself into believing. It's a perfectly logical reason - one I wish was stated explicitly in canon, or that was more widely used by fanfic writers, because it's the only thing I've seen that really makes SENSE. So I thank WarpGirl and brother for that, but applaud you, Alelou, because you pulled this off very well. Thank you. :)

I like it. There's a lot in this that makes the whole trellium nonsense slightly more appealing. The notion that she began taking it in order to build up a resistance is an idea I've seen before (and frankly makes more sense than the ridiculous explanation canon provided), but what I really like the most is how she's sort of following the example set by her human crewmates and following the "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission."

What's also interesting is her instinctive desire to meld with Trip even though she doesn't realize it. That's actually something similar to an idea I had for 'Divergent Paths' (great minds think alike, eh?), and I appreciate just how freaked out T'Pol is when she realizes what she was about to do.

You also raise a very interesting point: how the heck did Phlox NOT see this? Surely if we go back and examine season 3 (from "Impulse" to "Damage"), we're going to see T'Pol in sickbay at least once. It makes one wonder - could Phlox's Denobulan ethics be THAT different from the human one? Like perhaps he suspected what she was doing but due to his alien medical ethics wouldn't get involved unless requested?